Disney News, Discussion & an Element of Fun - 2024 Edition

[Elijah Abrams]

FEA is cute but the animatronics have aged so badly that it’s actively distracting to me. I always joke Anna and Elsa look like they don’t blend their foundation back to their hairline. I think I would be much less meh on it if we got the HK upgrades.

I really wish they would replace the Epcot FEA animatronics with ones similar to its HKDL counterpart.

Lol, guess you aren't ever going to ride it again. I am willing to give anything a try and I guess I'm just a sucker because I even enjoy iasw. Oh well if people are that upset it just means the ride line will be shorter. They won't be changing this for a very long time considering it isn't even officially open yet.

I don't want to watch the video until I ride it. That said, I have said from the beginning that they should have Dr. Facillier if only because Keith David is awesome and has an amazing voice! Any excuse to hear his slick and debonnaire voice is always good with me.

Gonna be real with you for a second but Disney isn't going to do that lol

With that said, I am very surprised at the reaction to the POV. The like to dislike ratio is almost evenly split on Disney's upload on YouTube. Comments are almost all negative. I expected it to be the other way around.

Fine. Whatever. You guys can go on the new ride when it opens and whenever you want, but don’t say I didn’t warn you on its reception.

IMO, I’d wait until Bob Iger is finally replaced so they can make moderate changes to the ride.

 

[ellbell]

I really wish they would replace the Epcot FEA animatronics with ones similar to its HKDL counterpart.



Fine. Whatever. You guys can go on the new ride when it opens and whenever you want, but don’t say I didn’t warn you on its reception.

IMO, I’d wait until Bob Iger is finally replaced so they can make moderate changes to the ride.

I think you'll be waiting longer than that tbh. People don't like things and that is fine but those things don't just change for those people. It's a brand new theme for the ride and there have been worse things that people disliked more that stuck around longer. FEA, figment, soarin to name a few.

 

[Gabby01]

Awww, I think it looks cute! I prefer this lush setting over Splash Mountain, TBH. I honestly don't see what the problem with this new ride is unless people are just nostalgic over the old one?

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

Yikes! So many negative reactions to the ride in the comments, and I agree with them actually.

I’m not riding this until it becomes an original non-PATF ride and has a new story involving a rabbit or some other animal's troubles, similar to what Br'er Rabbit went through. Same thing goes with the upcoming Disneyland version. The ride should still be set in the bayou, but just have the Princess and the Frog IP stripped away from it.

I mean, it's too late for Disney to bring back Splash Mountain. They can't restore that ride to its former glory, but they can make something better out of Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Ain't too late to do that.

Agreed. Kind is crazy they are all bad comments with hundreds and hundreds of likes on all of them. It even have more dislikes in the video then likes.

I’ll still try it of course but it’s not gonna change what I think of it by the video.

 

[Sweettears]

I really wish they would replace the Epcot FEA animatronics with ones similar to its HKDL counterpart.



Fine. Whatever. You guys can go on the new ride when it opens and whenever you want, but don’t say I didn’t warn you on its reception.

IMO, I’d wait until Bob Iger is finally replaced so they can make moderate changes to the ride.

Huh? Iger likely had no hand in the redesign. SM was my favorite ride but everything changes. Not going to stop me from going to WDW. Looking forward to see the new version.

I miss the Great Movie Ride but throughly enjoy MMRT

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Awww, I think it looks cute! I prefer this lush setting over Splash Mountain, TBH. I honestly don't see what the problem with this new ride is unless people are just nostalgic over the old one?

I didn't watch the video because I don't want to spoil it, but I'm really looking forward to riding it! Princess and the Frog is one of my favorite movies, and I love many of the characters like Mama Odie and Louis.

Honestly, I don't think the problem is the ride, it's people. Especially people online. I take internet breaks periodically because otherwise I'd get the impression everyone's just angry all the time

 

[BrianL]

I didn't watch the video because I don't want to spoil it, but I'm really looking forward to riding it! Princess and the Frog is one of my favorite movies, and I love many of the characters like Mama Odie and Louis.

Honestly, I didn't think the problem is the ride, it's people. Especially people online. I take internet breaks periodically because otherwise I'd get the impression everyone's just angry all the time

One of the biggest issues is that people have these exacting ideas of what something should be, and if it deviates from that even slightly, they can't stand it. Sure, maybe this ride is not what I would have done or how I would've done it, but that doesn't mean that it's automatically bad.

 

[fatmanatee]

I’ll actually be in Tokyo in November and WDW in January and I’ve never rode Splash so I am planning to ride both. If you want an objective take from someone who has no pre-existing sentiments towards SM stay tuned. However, my guess is that my review will be “they’re both fine”.

Oh, and I’ve never seen Tiana or whatever the heck Splash is based on. So really, coming in with a clean slate.

 

[Elijah Abrams]

I think you'll be waiting longer than that tbh. People don't like things and that is fine but those things don't just change for those people. It's a brand new theme for the ride and there have been worse things that people disliked more that stuck around longer. FEA, figment, soarin to name a few.

Try telling that to "Journey Into YOUR Imagination", a revamp/retheme of the original Journey Into Imagination ride that lasted from 1999 to 2001. It got negative reception.

 

[Brian Noble]

For at least some people, I don't think it's just nostalgia. IYKYK.

 

[ellbell]

Try telling that to "Journey Into YOUR Imagination", a revamp/retheme of the original Journey Into Imagination ride that lasted from 1999 to 2001. It got negative reception.

People still prefered the original with dreamfinder. What about the leaning tower of eiffel or the ghost faces of fea. People dislike things and like I said that's ok. Your wishes are not Disney's command

 

[Dulcee]

All the cranky adults can sit it out…. Make more room for the 10 and under crowd who are going to lose it over a new princess attraction… because I can tell you the squealing that happened in my house while my little ones watched the POV was pure joy.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

I just would have rather seen them spend all the money they are spending on making Splash into Tiana’s on a new family ride in the studios or AK or Epcot.

 

[firefly_ris]

Don't know when I'll be getting back to WDW in the coming years... next Orlando vacay Epic Universe seems to be luring my kids.

So knowing that I watched the POV.

Spoiler

Things I liked: Animatronic quality, lighting, the addition of more lush foliage and night time lighting outside. I liked the use of firefly lighting. The Special Spice song is catchy. I'm glad they got original voice actors for their animatronics. I liked seeing Lottie, Eudora and Naveen in the final scene.

Thing I found lacking: Several areas with just a lack of kinetics. They seem to concentrate on smaller condensed scenes and don't seem to know what to do with transitional areas. It's definitely way improved over Frozen which is stl baffling to me how they seem fine with just having large expanses of absolutely nothing. This at least has foliage and lighting but I feel due to the diminished number of visible characters it has less kinetics. However it may look better in person as opposed to trying to get a vibe from a video. Disjointed story -- I could be wrong here but were they using the original track/ Ray's voice for "Gonna Take you there" even though this takes place after the movie and Ray is dead? Maybe I misheard that. Lastly, the climb up to the final drop looked lacking to me. I thought they could have done so much more with illuminating the bottles from Mama Odie's place and way more of them plus other decor on the way up. I think ultimately choosing to make the timeline after the movie instead of during it stunted what could have been a little more epic.

Maybe this has some areas that could be "plussed" over the years. I really love the film and just wish they had gone with more aspects from that instead. Could have used Facilier, referenced the evening star, more visuals from Mama Odies place.... knowing the material they had on hand makes this "let's go find an animal band for a party" storyline a little underwhelming for me. But again it's hard to get a real feeling from a video.

 

[CarolynFH]

But again it's hard to get a real feeling from a video.

Yes, exactly this for me. I know it's Disney's POV, but I don't know that their camera was always directed at what will likely be "my" POV!

And I have to admit I'm glad the buildup for the big drop doesn't seem to be
as scary as it was for Splash. I hated that drop so much the first few years (due to a very bad experience on a roller coaster elsewhere) that there were times I understood why that adult a number of years ago was frightened enough to get out of the log at the base of the lift hill (and then was killed crossing between logs).

 

[zebrastreyepz]

Removing comment altogether.

 

[Naomeri]

Could we move the Tiana’s conversation to a separate thread so people trying to avoid spoilers have an easier time of it? Thanks

 

[zebrastreyepz]

Could we move the Tiana’s conversation to a separate thread so people trying to avoid spoilers have an easier time of it? Thanks

My apologies.

Put my thoughts behind a spoiler tag.

 

[Gusey]

Reach for the Stars coming to Tokyo Disneyland
"Reach for the Stars" is a castle projection set at Cinderella Castle, depicting various characters soaring through the sky in pursuit of their dreams.

Along with famous Disney songs, vibrant images are projected onto Cinderella Castle, pyro effects and other
light displays fill the night sky.

Enjoy an experience filled with realism and dynamism, as if you were flying through the sky with the characters.

 

[kylenne]

Looks like they are putting a temporary DVC lounge in the Odyssey building while they work on the Imagination pavilion lounge.

https://blogmickey.com/2024/06/dvc-...ination-pavilion-location-is-closed-at-epcot/